Employers believe human touch still important in hiring process

Despite advances in HR tech, employers believe human touch still an important part of hiring process

Employers are increasingly using HR technology to help attract and hire the best talent. Despite the widespread adoption of these tools, many businesses leaders indicate they still want a human touch for critical moments during the recruitment process, according to a report released by global talent solutions firm Randstad Sourceright.

Based on a survey of more than 800 human capital leaders, Randstad Sourceright’s Talent Trends research found that when it comes to tasks such as searching for talent, half (51 percent) of employers believe initial screening should be mostly or completely automated. Similarly, the same percentage feel that automation is useful for tracking HR data/metrics and for the creation and management of HR analytics.

However, talent leaders still value human interactions because they say a personal touch at certain points in the recruitment process keeps candidates engaged. The top three functions employers believe benefit from a personal touch include shortlisting candidates by video interviews (28 percent), scheduling interviews with candidates (27 percent), and managing talent communities and engagement (26 percent).

“There has never been a better time for employers to explore the possibilities that technological innovation can bring to their recruitment processes. It is now so much easier to source and screen talent, but at the same time there’s an added level of complexity. This requires companies to consider the overall hiring experience, and more specifically to determine the best mix of tech and touch to improve recruiting outcomes,” said Anthea Collier, Managing Director, APAC of Randstad Sourceright.

No matter where employers come down on the tech versus human touch divide, 65 percent believe that the candidate experience will be positively enhanced by the continued advancement of HR technologies, and that these new tools will free up recruiters to focus on more knowledge-intensive work.

The Talent Trends research, which surveyed leaders in 17 countries, also found that Singapore is adopting talent technology at a rapid rate, with a notable rise of 20 points in Randstad Sourceright’s HR tech readiness and adoption indices compared to 2017 and ranks fifth in the two global rankings.

“With the government’s Smart Nation Initiative, it is no surprise that Singapore ranks high on our indices. Our global snapshot reveals that employers around the world are navigating which steps of the recruitment process favor the human touch and which can be automated to allow workers to focus on more strategic and value-added services,” says Collier. “Technology alone won’t give you an edge. How you use it to accelerate hiring outcomes and support the productivity of people will.”

Q3 2018 Talent Trends Quarterly Report Highlights:
1. Talent Impact: 65 percent of employers globally believe HR tech will free up workers to focus on more knowledge-intensive tasks. That sentiment is even more profound in Singapore, with 88 percent saying HR technologies will give hiring managers more time to focus on important tasks.

2. Business Impact: 82 percent of Singaporean employers say a robust talent technology strategy has had a positive impact on their business.

3. Candidate Search: 84 percent of Singaporean employers believe the task of searching databases for candidates should be mostly or completely automated.
4. Smart Technologies Here to Stay: 73 percent of human capital leaders globally say smart technologies will have an equal or greater impact on their organizations this year.